Why a Printable Planner is (more than) Worth It

I’m a planner nerd. I own it. And for planner nerds like me, getting a new planner every year feels a little bit like Christmas – even down to the boxes and fancy paper. However, once I get down to the actual planning part of my planner, I often feel the buyer’s remorse kick in. 

As many beautiful, perfect planners as there are out there, I just kept finding that none of them were perfect for me. 

This led me to consider a printable planner – something I had never done in the past. And once I started down that rabbit hole, I discovered there are a million reasons to choose printable planning! Here are just a few…

Ultimate Customization

With a printable planner, you have the ability to tailor it to your needs exactly. You can pick the layout or layouts that work best for you. Add the extras you need and remove the ones you don’t without feeling like you’re in Arts and Crafts class or re-coiling an entire planner. (It’s a pain. Ask me how I know.) 

And you can do it all guilt-free, knowing you’re not wasting pages! I know I’m not the only one who used to rip out literally the entire front section of my printed planners. I just don’t always need to know when National Popcorn Day is, you know?

Which isn’t to say that it has to be minimalist- you can put everything you need in your planner, adding sections for medical information or financial information for example. The point is that you have the ability to build your planner to suit your needs – not anyone else’s. It can be exactly what you want and nothing that you don’t! 

You also have instant access to a printable planner – you don’t have to wait for shipping, or worse, pay extra for it. 

Ultimate Flexibility

While all that choice is great, it can also be greatly overwhelming. However, the thing that I appreciate the most about a printable planner is its ultimate flexibility. 

An important reminder: you don’t have to make every decision at once. 

I have often printed out ONLY the beginning section of my planner and the monthly calendars, and then printed out the weekly layouts just a week at a time. 

This gives me the opportunity to try out different layouts and planning styles. Often I think I need something in a layout that I end up just not using or I think I want more open space when a more structured layout would suit me best in that season.

I can also change layouts depending on the season of life I’m in. During the school year, I use a vertical layout- I need to see everything that’s going to happen that day in the order it is happening. During the summer, however, our schedule is a little more loose, so a horizontal or even a dashboard-style layout with plenty of room for notes might work better. 

I would go broke if I tried to continuously change layouts in a printed planner, but in a printable planner, I have that option without any extra cost!

That leads me to something else I didn’t originally think about when it comes to using a printable planner but have come to appreciate – the opportunity for personalization. When you choose every element in your planner, it becomes uniquely yours. Literally no one else will have the exact same planner that you do because you have partnered with the designer to make something extra special and that is specifically suited to your needs and personality. 

You make the call on everything from size to paper weight. You can print the whole thing on printer paper – or even on cardstock if you want – who am I to judge?!

I’ve found this scratches the itch that makes bullet journalling appealing but without the need to draw out fifty million calendars every month. (I may or may not be exaggerating. But seriously, I cannot hand draw so. many. calendars.) Printable planners make personalized planning accessible.

Ultimate Affordability

There’s no getting around it. Printable planners are just more cost effective than their pre-printed counterparts. Once you purchase, you can print it as many times as you want without adding any extra cost. 

Add to that the money you are not spending on shipping and printable planners are easily the most budget-friendly option on the market. 

Binding can be equally inexpensive. You can invest in a disc-binding system and re-use your materials every year, or you could even use a three-ring binder. (We’ve got a whole post on this!) There are so many cute and affordable options out there – check out our planning resources page for ideas. 

Printing my planner every year still feels like Christmas- only now it feels like I get to pick my own present! 

Ready to get YOUR own Christmas present…in May?! We’re launching our 2024/2025 S.O.S. Planners and Spring Collection on May 7th! Join us the night before for a huge planner party – with giveaways, sneak peeks, and more! RSVP here to save your spot!